WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Thom Tillis and his colleagues recently sent a letter to the Chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, Senator Jon Tester, demanding an immediate hearing on the recently announced Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) budget shortfall of nearly $15 billion.
“The sudden nature of the issue, and the sheer financial volume of the request, are both cause for concern and call into question the information previously reported by VA. As members of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, we have an obligation to conduct oversight of the Department. If the problem is not identified and addressed, it is perpetuated. VA must be held to the highest standard in delivering quality, transparent, and efficient care, benefits, and services to our veterans, while acting as exemplary stewards of taxpayer dollars,” the senators wrote.
“Our Committee is directly responsible for conducting rigorous oversight and this budget shortfall proves that VA is in desperate need of scrutiny and accountability. Our obligation is not absolved because the Senate is departing for a five-week recess. The VA Secretary needs to immediately testify in-person before the Committee to answer the nearly $15 billion question before a supplemental is considered. The American people, and especially our veterans, deserve a government operating with full transparency and integrity. They expect results, not a blank check to further bureaucratic mismanagement,” the senators continued.
“The answers and accountability owed to our veterans cannot wait until the Senate returns on September 9, just days before the VA says that benefits payments will be disrupted. As such, we urge you to immediately schedule a hearing so we can conduct proper oversight and get to the bottom of this concerning report. Once we get these critical answers, then we can quickly take appropriate action to ensure payments continue to our veterans and ensure this unacceptable financial mismanagement does not jeopardize veterans again,” the senators concluded.
Background:
This $15 billion shortfall is the largest budget shortfall the VA has experienced, and is a clear departure from the FY 2025 budget request the Biden-Harris administration presented to Congress just four months ago. The projected VHA deficit alone is greater than the entire annual budget of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Full text of the letter is available HERE.
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